MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Denny McKinney]

Really? Five different posters have taken the time to give me Karma pts on one side or the other. This amazes me. Considering I was just trying to keep a Kids name from appearing on this page.

Good Luck to the Griff's tonite!!!!

[Denny McKinney]

Congrats Principia. A conference road win. Been a while.

JoeVegas - I don't know if you plan on responding to Hopefan's request for names and reasons.  Don't take the bait.

Denny, saying i'd be curious to know who and what is NOT asking for a response of JoeV... I'd be curious to know a gazillion things about SLIAC hoops, but I wouldn't expect direct posted answers...

What I am inferring is that I would defend Coach Shafer and Fontbonne basketball if I did know.....

You altered my quote to fit your purpose. Let's put the full statement back up for view.

JoeVegas - I don't know if you plan on responding to Hopefan's request for names and reasons. BUT, if you do. Please do it by Private Message! That is not the kind of thing you put on a public forum. The request would just be selling the Kids out. I think that is easy to see!!! There are a lot of coaches that read this site. It would be a death nail for those Kids that aren't happy, at this time. Don't take the bait. Use the PM!!!!

There is something wrong with suggesting he use PM? Amazing!!!!

[hopefan]

Quickies from last night

Another almost for Fontbonne... I still love the direction shown in the boxscore...

Westmin vs Webster... perimeter talent relatively even... but Westmin had no answer, none at all, for stopping Kevin Miller

Prin.. Larry Patterson is finally back and with him, Prin COULD get 4 or 5 conference wins....

Brandon Goeing off the bench for Spalding with 30 points... 9 for 15 from 3's... I really enjoyed watching this kid play last year..   a little waterbug, never stops moving without the ball

and the biggest news/ question mark... MacMurray missing Whitlock and Burton ... and going to Spalding tomorrow... if those two are out, I don't think Mac has the big game experience to win down there

[hopefan]

Incidentally... hopefan standings remain the same after last night full schedule

Spalding defended home vs Eureka
Webster defended home against Westminster
Mac beat Blackburn
Greenville beat Fontbonne

standings
Mac +1  won at Eureka
Webster, Westmin, Greenville, Spalding all at 0
Eureka  -1  lost at home to Mac

[y_jack_lok]

Incidentally... hopefan standings remain the same after last night full schedule

Spalding defended home vs Eureka
Webster defended home against Westminster
Mac beat Blackburn
Greenville beat Fontbonne

standings
Mac +1  won at Eureka
Webster, Westmin, Greenville, Spalding all at 0
Eureka  -1  lost at home to Mac

Greenville beat Fontbonne at Fontbonne, so does that give Greenville a +1? Or, if you don't consider Fontbonne a contender then is it essentially considered a neutral game as far as the hopefan standings go, thus no +1 for Greenville?

[hopefan]

Fontbonne, when I started things, was considered a non contender.. so no plus 1...

[ecreddevils]

Fontbonne, when I started things, was considered a non contender.. so no plus 1...

I fear there is a real opportunity for Fontbonne to snag a road win at EC tomorrow.  Frankly EC has been run over early in their last three games, just doesn't seem to be much continuity or confidence right now.  FU clearly played Spalding better and had a chance against a good GC team.

[Denny McKinney]

EC- Should be a competitive game. I'm not sure on your end, but the FU boys need a Win in the worst way. Positive boxscores aren't giving the confidence this team needs to move forward. Hope you get a good game to watch.

[hopefan]

Haven't heard anything about Whitlock and Burton of Mac regarding status for today's game at Spalding...  Spalding a definite favorite if they are unavailable... pretty much a tossup if the two are available and not playing hurt..

other big game is Westmin at Greenville... I have to think that Greenville with the home court should take this one.. Westmin couldn't win at Webster, and I think Greenville is better with a deeper bench than Westmin.. However, if Gville doesn't defend strongly, Lee, James, Moore could have a field day

ECred is probably right about Eureka... no one can quite figure out how they beat Webster (my personal feeling is that the ride up to Eureka is a killer... tough to jump off the bus, watch a ladies game, and somehow build up the adrenaline to play at top level)... Fontbonne has come close to the two good teams (Gville and Spalding)... they could be ready to WIN... though again, the trip could be a killer...

Prin at Blackburn... probably best chance remaining on the schedule for BC to get a win... I don't think they will...

[Denny McKinney]

Congrats to the Griff's. Way to go Boys. Enjoy the feeling.

[ecreddevils]

Congrats to the Griff's. Way to go Boys. Enjoy the feeling.

Another uneven performance from EC.  Looked good when hitting 3s but not generating a lot offensively otherwise.  EC didn't come out with a lot of energy in the early 2nd half, FU erased the four point advantage early and never looked back.  Really impressed with the solid core of Greenlee (nice strong, patient offensive post game, got to the line for 11 fts), Dorhauer (excellent passing), and DeGeare (nice mid and long range touch for 6' 8")  James, Lincoln, and Fenoglia good energy games for EC, still played sloppy defense and too many careless fouls.

EC needs to get healthy against IW this week--some elusive ingredient is missing in this cake mix right now.  FU played a spirited game and picked up an important road win. Huge next three games for them--if they can win at home against a Spalding team they just played tough on the road and pick off one road win (is Mac vulnerable now without Whitlock?), could be in the mix even with their current 2-10 overall. 

[hopefan]

Random thoughts on yesterday's games..

Went over to Greenville yesterday... note to any other drivers.. 70 has some HUGE potholes between StL and Gville... it's one thing to have them on city streets where you can dodge them, but going a tad over the speed limit on a major highway, you can't miss them.. and twice they really rattled my teeth!!!

Westmin, as I thought might be the case... was no match for Greenville... never close.. Greenville too athletic, too quick, too deep, too good... this could be the panther's year... haven't seen the jays so out of a league game in a long time...  one comment on them.. I like Jordan Jones for Westmin.. could the Jays go to a 4 guard lineup (James, Lee, Jones, and Moore)?  Their young big men aren't giving them many positive stats anyway... Greenville goes 8 or 9 deep, all contributing, and Coach Barber loves to use that bench...

No Whitlock for Mac, and they go down with a whimper at Spalding, never seeing the lead.. Burton plays 10 minutes and does little, must be injured or ill.... Brady Slagle can't do it himself, and scoring from perimeter players that have shown in the past they can really play, for some reason has fallen off... what's happened to Dylan Guthrie?  Spencer Pratt?  And Spalding, with several new faces in the box score contributing, is showing they have reloaded from losing 3 all conference player to graduation... my preseason thought was that they would be at the top of the conference with Mac.. so far so good.. if Whitlock's absence is lengthy, Mac may very well struggle with other top 4 or 5 SLIAC teams...

Prin beats BC by one... the play by play showed back and forth at the end of the game.. with BC missing a final shot that would have won it.. Patterson and Sydness dominate for Prin, but Jones, Neel, and Wilgus each hit huge buckets down the stretch... would love to have seen this one in BC's Bandbox.. great atmosphere...

Fontbonne sticks with the lineup.. the reserves get their critical minutes.. and they take out Eureka.. likely some tense minutes when turnovers and missed free throws temporarily struck again and let Eureka get to within 4 in the last minute, but Dorhauer and Greenlee both hit 2 FTs to put it away..

Finally Iowa Wesleyan beats Illinois Tech (quite possibly the worst team in D3, though in provisional status)

I know not many readers hit these games, but those that do.. keep in mind the schedule realignment this week... Wednesday's games shift to Tuesday, most of the ppd games are being made up on Thursday... no Wednesday games...

[y_jack_lok]

I know not many readers hit these games, but those that do.. keep in mind the schedule realignment this week... Wednesday's games shift to Tuesday, most of the ppd games are being made up on Thursday... no Wednesday games...

And where will hopefan be on Tuesday? Greenville @ Spalding probably ranks as the best matchup, but I'm pretty sure you're not driving to Louisville -- I-64 probably has pot holes, too.  Fontbonne @ Westminster now becomes an intriguing game -- will you go to Fulton? Principia @ Mac -- hmmm. Iowa Wes @ Eureka? Or, finally, the only reasonably close game. but presumably the least competitive of all, Blackburn @ Webster. Such a dilemma. 

[hopefan]

I really had thought of taking Thursday off and going to Louisville Wednesday mid afternoon, but the reschedule makes it impossible.. certain things at work on Wednesday prohibit that day off... so you hit the nail on the head.. a trip to Fulton to see 'the new and improved' Fontbonne, which, given Westmin's last two performances, could be a pretty decent game.. If Fontbonne were to win, and we replaced Eureka with Fontbonne in the hopefan standings, they would be right in the thick of things....

Also.. clearly the game to see on Thursday is Mac at Westminster... back to back trips to Fulton?

Then on Saturday, Mac at Greenville, with the alternate being Spalding at Fontbonne

Which means this is a HUGE week for Mac.. two tough road games, with status unknown for Whitlock and Burton...

[hopefan]

So I'm convinced that Eureka should move out of the hopefan standings.. they were in only with the early win over Webster... but after seeing them at Westmin, and having them lose to Fontbonne at home, I just can't conceive they are a top 4 contender...
On the other hand Fontbonne is on the rise, outplaying Spalding for 35 minutes, giving Geenville a close game...We'll put them in

Revised and it's pretty amazing how it works out at this point in time...
in the standings are top 6...Spalding, Mac, Westmin, Webster, Greenville, Font... if they beat the other 5 at home, lose to them on the road, and win all games against the bottom 4, we'd have a 6 way tie..
+1 for beating the top 5 on the road, -1 for losing to any of bottom 4 or losing at home to a top 5

Standings revert to...
Greenville  +1   won at top 6 Fontbonne
Mac   0
Spalding  0
Westmin  0
Webster  -1   lost vs bottom 4 Eureka
Fontbonne  -1  lost at home to top 6 Greenville